In the past, needle stick injuries suffered by medical personnel and others in the course of using intravenous syringes have presented a serious problem. Serious problems such as hepatitis and AIDS may be transmitted by such needle stick injuries, resulting in needless suffering, and possibly even in death. Health care workers are susceptible to accidental needle stick injuries while caring for AIDS or hepatitis patients. Avoiding accidental needle sticks is very important for health care workers.
The needle of a safety syringe is normally provided in a central portion of the syringe, which is suitable for hypodermic or intramuscular injection. However, such a syringe is not suitable for intravenous injection of larger quantities of liquid medicine, filled in a large size syringe. The needle should be eccentrically located with respect to the center line of the syringe, for an ergonomic injection. Therefore, an eccentrically-positioned needle is ergonomically better than a centrally positioned needle of a syringe.